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An Apartment Therapy writer reported donating 47 items after using a one-touch rule to sort her fall wardrobe. The method, shared by moving expert Sarah Balducci, assigns each item to keep, seasonal storage or donation without a “maybe” pile; the result is one person’s account, not a measured test of the method.
An Apartment Therapy writer says she donated 47 items after using a “one touch” rule to sort her fall wardrobe, a method recommended by moving expert Sarah Balducci. The approach requires deciding once whether each item stays in the closet, goes into seasonal storage or is donated, with no holding pile for undecided clothes.
The writer said the closet had become difficult to use as summer clothes, jackets and heavier cold-weather items shared space. After spending nearly 20 minutes looking for jeans, she decided to reorganize it. She described the 47-item figure as the contents of her donation pile at the end of a two-hour afternoon session.
She set up three destinations for clothing: items to keep in the fall closet, off-season garments to store, and donations. She began with the top rail, worked in small batches and made a decision as she picked up each item. After starting with piles, she moved to bags and bins. She said she let go of pants she had kept for years in hopes they would fit again, found duplicates and rediscovered a favorite sweater.
Balducci, identified in the report as a moving expert from BMS Moving & Storage, recommended keeping sorting sessions to two hours or less and rotating seasonal clothing. Apartment Therapy’s account does not report an independent measurement or follow-up; the tally and description of the experience come from the writer.
A Clearer Route Through Closet Clutter
The account offers a practical example of a low-cost organizing technique for people who lose time to crowded closets or repeatedly postpone decisions about clothing. Its central idea is simple: make one decision per item, rather than moving garments between a keep pile and a “maybe” pile. The writer said that structure helped her finish a task she usually found tiring and made the work feel more manageable.
The result also illustrates a possible trade-off. A firm rule can reduce repeated handling and second-guessing, but it asks people to make quick choices about possessions that may carry sentimental or practical value. The report records one person’s outcome, not evidence that every household will donate a similar number of items or complete the task in the same amount of time.
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A Moving Tip Applied at Home
Balducci shared the technique as a way to help moving clients downsize before moving day. In the version described by Apartment Therapy, each garment goes directly into one of three categories: keep, store for the season or donate. The system rules out a separate undecided category, which is meant to prevent items from being handled again and again.
The writer was not preparing to move. She applied the advice to a recurring seasonal problem: summer and fall clothing competed for space, while bulkier pieces made it harder to locate everyday garments. Her approach included seasonal rotation, so clothes not needed for fall could be put away rather than treated as donations.
The report also places limits on the method. Balducci recommended working in short sessions rather than trying to tackle an overwhelming job all at once. The writer followed that guidance with one two-hour session, but did not say that her entire closet was fully reorganized or give details about where the donations would go.
““There’s no ‘I’ll think about it’ pile, and no ‘maybe’ or ‘limbo’ box.””
— Sarah Balducci, moving expert at BMS Moving & Storage, as quoted in Apartment Therapy
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What the 47-Item Count Shows
The 47-item total is the writer’s reported donation-pile count; the article does not provide an outside verification, item-by-item inventory or comparison with earlier cleanouts. It also does not establish that the one-touch rule alone caused the result. The writer used other practical steps, including sorting in small batches and separating off-season clothes for storage.
It is not clear whether the writer donated the items immediately, whether the closet stayed organized afterward or how much time a full cleanout would take for someone with a different wardrobe. The account is a personal trial, not a controlled comparison of organizing methods.
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Seasonal Rotation and Donation Plans
The writer’s next practical step is to keep seasonal clothes separate from the garments currently in use, following Balducci’s suggested rotation system. Apartment Therapy’s report does not state when the writer will do another cleanout or what happened to the 47 items after sorting.
For readers trying the approach, the account points to a contained first session: set up destinations before starting, work through a small group of garments and stop within the recommended time limit if the task feels too large. The reported outcome remains specific to this writer; whether the method makes future seasonal sorting faster for her has not yet been reported.
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Key Questions
What is the one-touch rule for decluttering clothes?
It is a sorting method in which each item is handled once and placed directly into one of three categories: keep, seasonal storage or donation. The method does not use a separate “maybe” pile.
How many items did the Apartment Therapy writer donate?
The writer reported that her donation pile contained 47 items after a two-hour afternoon session. The number comes from her account.
Who recommended the method?
Sarah Balducci, a moving expert from BMS Moving & Storage, shared the method and advised sorting in sessions of no more than two hours, according to Apartment Therapy.
Does the account show that the method works for everyone?
No. It describes one writer’s experience and does not compare the technique with other methods or report results from a larger group. The reported time and donation count may differ for other people.
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